Increased state regulation improves childcare, officials say

State officials say a law passed two years ago has dramatically improved child care in Kansas, and improved the state's reputation for the quality of its small family child care operations.

The 2010 law is known as Lexie's Law, after a 13-month-old girl who died after from injuries she suffered at a Johnson County day care in 2004.

Among other things, it requires training for day care providers. It also requires day cares that take in up to six children to be regularly inspected. In the past, those small day cares were inspected only in response to complaints.

The Wichita Eagle reports that five years ago, Kansas ranked 46th in the country for policies that govern child care centers. This year, a national organization rated Kansas third.